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Tuesday, June 26, 2012

My parents came into town over Father's Day weekend. We spent all day Saturday galavanting around Cleveland and it was so much fun. The main reason we went was for Marine Week. There was military equipment, vehicles and helicopters out on display for people of all ages to hold, climb in and touch. Dad was like a little boy with wide eyes and a big smile the whole afternoon. We even got to see a "Huey" helicopter similar to the one our friend Sgt. Trevor Cook flew. Seeing the environment that the Marines had to endure was a real wakeup call. The equipment is heavy and every nook and cranny in the vehicles is being used for something so there isn't room to move around.

For lunch we had dim sum at Li Wah (among the many dishes we tried were chicken feet), we visited the Asian market next door, then did a driving tour around the rest of Asia Town. We headed back to Public Square for more Marine Week, played a bit in the casino, had drinks on the rooftop bar at The Greenhouse Tavern, then ate a late dinner at Indian Delight. It was long, full and fun day spent in our beautiful, bustling downtown.Side Note: We always eat ethnic food while my parents are in town because my dad likes to try different foods. The area where I grew up doesn't have much in the way of ethnic cuisine, so Dad craves it when he visits.

Anyway, you're here for the recipe, so let's move on. Dad loves pie, pretty much any pie, but this time of year he gets his fix with strawberry pie. I'm not talking about strawberry pie with the glaze on it. I mean an old fashioned, double crust, strawberry pie. Most people haven't even heard of it and there aren't many recipes out there, believe me I've looked. It's similar to a strawberry ruhbarb pie minus the rhubarb.

When it's strawberry season, I eat most berries fresh, but we all need to get our strawberry pie fix once a year. And Kevin (who doesn't really like any pie) even ate a slice of this one!

Mix together sugar, flour, and cinnamon in a small bowl. In a large bowl, add the strawberries and the flour mixture, stirring lightly to evenly coat the berries. Pour filling into pastry lined pan, and dot fruit with butter. Cover with top crust, and cut slits in the top. Seal and flute (or fork) the edges.

Lower the temperature to 425. Place the pie on the baking sheet and bake until the crust is set and begins to brown, about 25-30 minutes.

Rotate the pie and reduce the oven temperature to 375, continue baking until the crust is deep golden brown and the juices bubble, 25 to 30 minutes longer.

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

**I'm guest posting about my favorite wine store and their weekly wine tastings over on Eat*Drink*Cleveland today. Check it out!**

June is Kevin's birthday month. His favorite type of food is Indian so I'm going to feature a couple Indian recipes that are easy to recreate at home.

I had leftovers from eating at an Indian restaurant, but didn't have enough rice or naan in comparison. I knew I had a few naan recipes bookmarked, but I needed something I could whip up after work. Luckily I found this recipe which only needed an hour to rise.

Naan is ridiculously easy, I really couldn't believe how easy! Mix up dough, knead for 10 minutes, let it rise for an hour, knead 1 minute, split into 6 pieces, then cook it on a pizza stone for 3 minutes on each side.

I spread butter over them right after they came out of the oven. Next time I'm going to attempt making garlic naan. Yum!

Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt into a mixing bowl. Stir in the yeast and sugar. Make a well in the center. Pour in the milk, oil, yogurt and beaten egg (if using). Beat well, gradually incorporating the surrounding flour to make a dough.

Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for 10 minutes. Place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with oiled plastic wrap and set in a warm place for about 1 hour, until doubled in bulk.

Put a pizza stone on the lowest rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 475.

Knead the dough lightly again and divide into six pieces. Roll each piece into a rectangular shape, brush lightly with oil and slap onto the hot pizza stone. Bake the naan for 3 minutes, until puffed up, flip and bake for another 3 minutes. After it comes out of the oven, lightly spread some butter on one side of the cooked naan, and transfer to a cooling rack.